Band 6.0 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 6.0 · Cambridge IELTS 17 · 2026-08-26

IELTS Writing Task 2 question

Nowadays, a growing number of people with health problems are trying alternative medicines and treatments instead of visiting their usual doctor.

Do you think this is a positive or a negative development?

Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

Student answer (Band 6.0)

Nowadays, many individuals are choosing alternative medicines rather than getting the actual treatment to cure their diseases; they choose alternative therapies over conventional medical care. In my opinion, this is a huge negative development because alternative treatments lack scientific proof and minon illenss casue a big issue later.

First and the major issue with alternative medicine is the lack of research and testing. Doctors know better which treatment is suitable for their diseases, and they give them precautions and medicine to treat their health issues in a scientifically proven way.

In contrast, herbal remedies and therapies can cause several issues and side effects or opposite reactions in their bodies, which may cause problems later. For instance, patients think that this remedy would cure them, but the illness requires a full treatment, and remedies can cause severe illness and health risks.

Furthermore, avoiding real doctors delays the proper diagnosis of diseases. When people rely on home remedies, they waste critical time. As a result, a minor illness can quietly transform into a dangerous condition. By the time they finally visit a hospital, the disease becomes harder and more expensive to treat.

From my perspective, whenever we have the feeling of pain anywhere in the body, first we have to choose proper treatment for relief and treatment in a scientifically proven way. On top of that, professional doctor care is always safer. They know which treatment would be best for our illness, so relying on doctors rather than doing wrong attempts is always the better choice.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 6.0

The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position that the trend is negative. The main ideas—lack of scientific evidence and the danger of delayed diagnosis—are relevant and logically developed. However, the development is somewhat repetitive, particularly in the final paragraph, which restates points already made rather than extending the argument. To reach a higher band, you should aim to provide more specific examples or explore the nuance of why people might be drawn to alternative medicine in the first place, rather than simply stating that professional care is safer.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.5

The essay is logically organized with a clear introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Paragraphing is used appropriately to separate distinct ideas. Cohesive devices such as 'First', 'In contrast', 'Furthermore', and 'As a result' are used to guide the reader through the argument. However, the flow between some sentences is slightly mechanical, and the concluding paragraph feels a bit disjointed from the preceding analysis. Improving the variety of linking words and ensuring smoother transitions between sentences would enhance the overall coherence of the response.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

The vocabulary is generally adequate for the task, allowing you to convey your meaning clearly. You use some topic-specific terms like 'herbal remedies', 'conventional medical care', and 'proper diagnosis'. However, there are some inaccuracies and awkward phrasing, such as 'minon illenss casue' (spelling errors) and 'doing wrong attempts'. The range of vocabulary is somewhat limited, relying on basic descriptors. To improve, you should focus on using more precise collocations and avoiding repetitive phrasing to demonstrate a wider range of lexical control.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent errors in grammar and punctuation, such as 'minon illenss casue a big issue' and 'whenever we have the feeling of pain... first we have to choose'. There are also issues with subject-verb agreement and article usage. While these errors do not impede communication, they are frequent enough to prevent a higher score. You should focus on proofreading for basic grammatical accuracy and attempting more complex sentence structures with greater precision.

See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.

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